My First Experience with Bun
Bun the great!
As I was trying to code a new library for our app this afternoon, my mind suggested trying Bun. Honestly, I've been using Node.js for about a year or two. Now, my mind keeps nagging me to use Bun whenever I reach the terminal. I saw Bun a week ago in the JavaScript Weekly's newsletter, which I subscribed to earlier, when they released version 1.2.1. It wasn't a big deal for me since I hadn't used it, but I took note of it.
Exploring Bun
When I tried to install Bun, I was flabbergasted - it was quite fast. My brother was streaming on the other laptop, and I thought it would take time to install, but it didn't.
Now, I opened a folder named 'template' and tested Bun. I installed Reign-IDB and in a split second, it was installed.
I asked ChatGPT why it was so fast and recently learned that it's made in Zig, a low-level systems language optimized for performance. Unlike Node.js, which is made in C++ and JavaScript (which are higher level than Zig), it takes less time to process tasks. When we talk about low-level and high-level it means that...
Wait... I didn't know that.
~quick ChatGPT~
Here's what it says:
In programming, low-level languages are closer to machine code and give direct control over hardware, while high-level languages are more abstract and easier to read/write. Zig is “lower” than C++ because it provides even fewer abstractions and focuses on manual control over memory and performance optimizations, while JavaScript is “higher” because it automates memory management, making it easier to use but slower for system-level tasks.
Now I know. And that's what I explored in Bun.
Should I Leave Node.js?
I'm quite new to Bun, and maybe I'll move forward with it. Node.js has surprisingly helped me with my tasks for years, especially in running scripts made with other tools for building, bundling, formatting, testing, linting, committing, and more.
I heard that Bun handles some trivial tasks for me like testing and bundling, but I haven't tested it yet. Perhaps it's time for me to move on.
If I find a task that isn't supported by Bun, I can still use Node.js. I won't uninstall it from my system as I might use it someday. From my quick research (shhh... I know what you're thinking), Bun isn't as good as Node.js with native C++ addons like bcrypt, sharp, and sqlite3, full fs API, worker threads—which I currently don't know about—and more.
So, I won't abandon Node.js entirely.
What Now?
As I write this article, I've consumed time that should have been spent developing the new library. I can't disclose what that library is yet, because I want you to check my new article later. (Good UX says to add a Call-to-Action so people know what to do after doing something.)
Yeah, as a TLDR: use Bun for speed-focused JavaScript apps, lightweight APIs, and simple scripts, while using Node.js if you need full compatibility, advanced networking, or native addons. (I also "ChatGPTted" this.)
~go back to work~
I know this is just my experience with Bun. Have you tried it? I highly recommend it!
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